A Court of Thorns and Roses

Feyre attempts to teach herself to write and send a warning to her family of the blight on Prythian. She is too embarrassed to ask Lucien or Tamlin for help, but she struggles to learn on her own. A large mural in the study illustrates the seven courts of Prythian, the lands beyond, and faerie history. There is a large mountain, at the center of Prythian, that does not belong to any court. Tamlin arrives and offers to help Feyre write a letter to her family. Feyre refuses, claiming that he only wants to humiliate her. Tamlin asks why Feyre won’t trust him, and Feyre notes how cruel faeries have been to humans in the past. Feyre, embarrassed and insecure, flees the study but returns later to find her stack of papers was disturbed.

Feyre asks Lucien about the Suriel, the faerie that will answer questions if trapped. Lucien gives Feyre his knife, tells Feyre to lure the Suriel into a snare with a “freshly slaughtered” chicken, and says that Tamlin is away investigating another disturbance.

Feyre traps the Suriel—which looks like a tall, thin corpse in a veil and robes—and asks it questions. The Suriel says she must remain in Prythian, or she and her family will be killed. It tells her to “Stay with the High Lord” (129). Feyre realizes that Tamlin is the High Lord of the Spring Court, one of the seven most powerful faeries in Prythian. The Suriel explains that the blight came from another faerie kingdom across the sea, Hybern, where no humans live, but a faerie king sits on a throne of human bones. The King of Hybern hates the treaty between humans and faeries, and he sent his generals into other faerie kingdoms to undermine it. He was betrayed 50 years ago by “The Deceiver.” The Suriel announces that the naga, another kind of deadly faerie, are near, and tells Feyre to free him and run.

The four naga arrive, a “horrendous combination of serpentine features and male humanoid bodies” (131). Feyre screams, hoping Lucien will hear her, and she shoots an arrow to free the Suriel from the trap. With her second arrow, Feyre shoots one of the naga and runs. The naga pursue her and attack, and Feyre manages to kill another of them with Lucien’s knife. Tamlin arrives and kills the remaining two naga. He had been tracking the naga when he found one killed by Feyre’s arrow and heard her screams. Feyre, grateful, marvels “that the High Lord of the Spring Court thought [she] was worth saving” (137).

Feyre recovers in her room and asks Alis if there will be a faerie war. Alis scolds Feyre for putting herself in danger, saying she only needed to offer the Suriel a new robe and it would have answered her questions safely.

Lucien compliments Feyre at dinner, and she teases him by saying that she thought faeries couldn’t lie. Lucien and Tamlin reveal that not only can faeries lie, but they are expert manipulators of words. Iron has no effect on them, but ash is truly lethal to faeries. Feyre tells Tamlin about the Suriel without giving away Lucien’s involvement. Tamlin asks Feyre about a list of words he found in the study, but she is too embarrassed to explain that they are words she couldn’t read. Tamlin offers Feyre his friendship, mentioning the faeries who fought alongside humans in the war for their freedom 500 years ago, when Tamlin was a child. Tamlin, sensing Feyre’s unassuaged worry for her family, explains that he “glamoured” their memories: Feyre’s family believes she is visiting a wealthy aunt, and they are enchanted to run at the first sign of danger. Feyre, finally at ease, asks Tamlin for paint. Tamlin promises to show her the gallery, as well.

Feyre wakes from a nightmare about the Suriel. She hears screams and shouting and finds Tamlin carrying a blue humanoid-butterfly faerie whose wings were ripped off. The injured faerie, who is from the Summer Court, says only that “she” took his wings. Lucien can’t watch as Tamlin and Feyre try to save the faerie. Feyre holds the faerie’s hand and comforts him as he dies. When Tamlin asks why she comforted the dying faerie, Feyre says she wouldn’t want to die alone and gives an abject apology for killing Andras. Tamlin buries the Summer Court faerie.

The next day, Tamlin, Lucien, and Feyre picnic in a beautiful glen. Feyre is comfortable enough to tease and banter with Tamlin. Lucien waits as Tamlin takes Feyre to a secluded pool of starlight, a place he loved as a child. Tamlin explains that Lucien couldn’t watch the Summer Court faerie in pain because of his traumatic childhood. Lucien is the youngest son of the High Lord of the Autumn Court, but he abandoned his father’s court after his father executed Lucien’s lesser faerie lover. Three of Lucien’s six brothers attempted to kill him, but Lucien and Tamlin each killed one. Lucien is now under Tamlin’s protection, as his emissary. Feyre strips down to her underclothes to swim in the pool of starlight and notices Tamlin admiring her. She admires Tamlin’s body in return. As they swim, Feyre explains how her father lost the family fortune when his ships sank on a risky voyage meant to pay off their debts. On the way home, Feyre confronts Lucien, out of Tamlin’s ear shot, for his bad advice about the Suriel. Feyre says she understands why Lucien hates her. Lucien admires Feyre for freeing the Suriel with her first arrow before shooting at the naga and apologizes for not coming to her aid when he heard her screaming. Lucien gives Feyre his knife as a token of friendship.

Tamlin shows Feyre the gallery, which delights her. Feyre paints every day but never shows her paintings to anyone. She goes on rides with Tamlin and worries when Tamlin must defend his borders. Feyre also begins to worry that her family will forget her. Tamlin notices Feyre’s distress, and he shows her the rose garden his father planted for his mother as a mating present. Feyre plucks a rose and explains that she resents her family for being ungrateful to her. Tamlin kisses Feyre on the cheek and promises there will be “answers for everything” (173).

Later, Tamlin is caught in a snare Feyre set for safety while painting in the woods. She strokes his hair before he frees himself with his retractable claws, and she is torn between fear and attraction. Tamlin gives Feyre a series of raunchy limericks composed with the words from her study list. Later, Tamlin explains that although most High Fae marry, only some find a true mate who is “their match in every way” (175). Tamlin admits his father and older brothers kept human slaves before the war. Tamlin trained as a warrior but became High Lord when his entire family was murdered by the High Lord of another court. Tamlin warns Feyre that the spring festival, Calanmai, is in two days and that she should stay hidden as faeries are allowed to freely pass across borders that night. Tamlin hides Feyre in the garden when an Attor, a bat-like faerie, appears. The Attor tells Tamlin that a mysterious “she” is growing impatient and that “she” is responsible for the deadly lesser faeries plaguing the Spring Court. The Attor says Tamlin has fear in his “heart of stone” (180) and disappears.

On Calanmai, Tamlin again warns Feyre to stay hidden while he participates in the “Great Rite.” Feyre sneaks into the fire night festival anyway, where three male High Fae attempt to take advantage of her. Feyre is rescued by another dark, handsome High Fae, revealed in later chapters to be Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court in the northernmost region of Prythian. Feyre is immediately attracted to Rhysand.

Feyre avoids her rescuer’s questions and rejects his offer to escort her to the festival. Lucien finds Feyre and carries her back to the manor where he explains the Great Rite: Tamlin will be possessed by magic and turned into the “Hunter,” whose sole purpose is to couple with “the Maiden.” All the female faeries at the rite hope to be chosen as Tamlin’s mate for the night. Lucien warns Feyre to stay hidden because Tamlin will attempt to claim her if he smells her. Feyre is jealous. Later, Feyre finds Tamlin outside her room after the rite, and he says he searched for her at the festival. Still under the magic’s influence, Tamlin bites and kisses Feyre’s neck. Feyre feels strongly attracted to him, but she slaps him for presuming her feelings.

Feyre doesn’t hide her bite marks at breakfast. Tamlin refuses to apologize, saying he and Lucien both told her to stay hidden. Feyre storms off to paint. Later, Tamlin apologizes with roses from his mother’s garden. The next night, Feyre has Alis dress her in a gown for dinner. Upon seeing Feyre, Lucien leaves Tamlin and Feyre alone. Tamlin exhausts himself by using his blight-limited magic to make their table a more intimate size. Feyre realizes her growing feelings for Tamlin and shows Tamlin her paintings, which move him deeply. She tries to give him a painting of the pool of starlight, but Tamlin asks to keep her painting of the snowy woods where she once hunted. Feyre longs to see Tamlin’s face under the mask, and she asks what she can do to help him. Tamlin says she can do nothing but that he wants Feyre to stay with him because she could be his first lover to understand his pain. That night, Feyre leaves her bedroom unlocked.